Padres sale complete

Peter Seidler, Ron Fowler of the San Diego Padres new ownership group, along with Padres CEO Tom Garfinkel speak at a news conference at Petco Park to talk about the new ownership deal on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.
— K.C. Alfred

Peter Seidler, Ron Fowler of the San Diego Padres new ownership group, along with Padres CEO Tom Garfinkel speak at a news conference at Petco Park to talk about the new ownership deal on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.
— K.C. Alfred

The Padres new ownership pointed the franchise in a new direction Wednesday morning without divulging many details about their purchase or future plans.

Led by members of two families that trace their baseball heritage to former Dodgers owners Walter and Peter O’Malley plus San Diego business and civic leader Ron Fowler, the new owners were formally introduced at Petco Park a day after their purchase was finalized and hours before the Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves 8-2.

Fowler, who will be the control person for the new group, said the new ownership group takes over with three key criteria: “Continuity, consistency, community.”

“We want the Padres to be part of what makes San Diego great,” said Fowler. “We’re going to take it up another notch.”

But few specifics were discussed about how the new ownership group is comprised or what the Padres might do moving forward.

Questions about future payroll, the continuing impasse in the television distribution, possible changes to Petco Park and even the composition of the ownership group were answered in generalities.

This much is clear:

The heirs to the O’Malley Dodgers legacy – Walter’s grandsons Peter and Tom Seidler and Kevin and Brian O’Malley – are, as Fowler described them, “the primary owners” among a group of a dozen owners that includes eight members of the minority faction that previously owned 49.32 percent of the Padres.

And while professional golfer Phil Mickelson wasn’t among the owners identified Wednesday, Peter Seidler said “we have a spot for Phil” and said he expects to meet with Mickelson within the next couple of weeks.

“We have a spot in our group for Phil and only Phil,” said Seidler. “We expect that to be finalized in two weeks.

Fowler said the purchase of the Padres was an “all cash deal.”

“We are not taking on any debt,” said Fowler. “The new ownership group is over-subscribed.”

“In terms of debt, outside of the ballpark, the Padres have less today than they had yesterday,” said Peter Seidler.

Harp, a native of Mexico City, is believed to be the only member of a major league baseball ownership group who is a citizen of Mexio. Harp is the owner and chairman of the Mexico City Red Devils of the Mexican League.

At least five of the owners plus Ron Fowler were members of the minority group that former Padres CEO Jeff Moorad put together in 2009 to buy the Padres on a lay-away plan.

Outgoing majority owner John Moores reclaimed control of the club after it became clear in January that Moorad was not going to gain approval from the other owners to complete the purchase of the Padres.

Moores, who owned 50.68 percent of the Padres at the time, soon put the Padres back on the market for $300 million more than the sale price to Moorad’s group, which still owned 49.32 percent of the club.